Brush



Dec. 5, 1967 L SUDAN 3,3553% Filed June 1, 66

0144-1 1 "a 00132, SI, 0A

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United States Patent C 3,355,759 BRUSH Louise M. Sloan, Rte. 2, GwinettCounty, near Stone Mountain, Ga. 30083 Filed June 1, 1966, Ser. No.554,424 2 Claims. (Cl. 15206) This invention relates to a brush andparticularly to a brush of open arcuate construction having smallfilaments projecting therefrom for removing yarn surface accumulations,such as small balls or pills, which accumulate on fabrics like thoseused in the construction of sweaters.

Many present-day garments and materials are made from both real andsynthetic yarns and fibers which tend to form accumulations of fibers onthe surface and in the shape of irregular masses such as balls, pills orlumps. For instance, soft sweaters of wool, cashmere, orlon and similaryarns tend to form what are known as pills and to undergo pilling of thefabric which produces unattractive and undesirable balls of fibers onthe surface. This occurs from a number of things among which is rubbingor stroking the surface of the fabric when Wetting or perhaps drycleaning. These accumulations render the garment and the fabric lessattractive and desired and should be removed where possible. In fact, itis common for college age girls to shave their sweaters with a razorblade in order to remove the pilling which has accumulated on thesurface. Of course, this is repleat with possibilities of damage to thefabric and the knit, but it does demonstrate the extent to which theowners of nice sweaters will go to remove this undesirable pilling.Ordinary garment brushes are unsatisfactory because they dig into thefabric and tend to raise the nap even more and to set the stage for evenmore pilling. The present brush is an open, continuous, arcuate framewhich has small, thin filaments protruding a slight distance from thesurface thereof to limit the amount of insertion into the fabric but toadequately remove accumulated balls or pills of yarn.

Generally described, Without restriction on the scope of my invention asdefined in the appendant claims, the present brush compriseslongitudinal twisted wire which confines brush filaments, such asfilaments of nylon, in a helical pattern. The twisted wire extendsbeyond the brush and receives a plastic handle or the like attachedthereto and held in the hand to perform the brushing operation. Thebrush wires and the brush filaments are mounted inside of a coil of Wireor plastic or the like and the brush filaments protrude slightly fromthe circular periphery of the coil in between the open spaces thereof. Apair of spaced washer-like plates attach the brush twisted wire to thecoil on each end thereof and support the brush therein. The surface ofthe coil is covered by an open net of a very wide weave constructed fromnylon monofilament or the like. In the operation of the brush, thesurface of the length of the coil is brought into contact with thesurface of the sweater or similar garment or fabric to be brushed andthen the hand is manipulated up and down the fabric in a sweeping pathto bring the pips of the nylon filaments of the brush into engagementwith the nap of the fabric and during this motion the coil can adjustitself in typical snake-like fashion of the coil to the contour of thefabric. The open coil together with the net prohibits undesirableinsertion of the tips of the filaments into the fabric and limits thebrushing action to that of the filament tips.

A primary object of this invention is to provide a brush for removingpills or balls and other accumulations of yarn from the surface of nappyor soft fabrics such as sweaters.

Another object of this invention resides in the construction whereby thebrushing action is done by the tips of 2 filaments which are limited ininsertion by means of a coil through which the tips protrude a limiteddistance.

A further object of this invention resides in the economicalconstruction of the present brush utilizing a twisted brush covered by acoil and further covered by an open mesh net.

Other and further objects and advantages of my invention will becomeapparent upon reading the follow ing specification taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the brush of the present invention heldin hand for use on a typical fabric.

FIG. 2 is a cross-section view taken substantially along lines 22 inFIG. 1.

In FIG. 1 there is illustrated the brush of the present inventiondesignated generally and overall in assembly by reference numeral 10held in a hand 12, by the thumb 14 and other fingers 16 and in contactwith a typical fabric 18 which could be a portion of the material of asweater which is made from knitted cashmere or orlon yarns.

Brush 10 comprises a twisted brush member designated generally byreference numeral 20 and which is constructed from a pair of twistedwires which confine there between and twist into a helical formmonofil-amen-t members 22 which are fine filaments of material such asnylon or polyethylene or other plastic material. Twisted or spiralbrushes 20 of this sort are common in the brush art and are used asbottle brushes as well as being used in the artificial Christmas treeindustry for limbs on artificial Christmas trees. Such brushes areconstructed automatically on machines such as that in Patent No.2,742,327 issued on Apr. 17, 1956, and the method disclosed therein. Theresulting brush 20 presents a cylinder of monofilament fibers protrudingfrom the center core which is the twisted wires 24 of the brush 20.

Brush 20 is mounted inside of a helical coil of Wire or plastic 26 whichis smaller in diameter than the maximum distance from the ends of thetips of one of the brush filaments 22 diametrically through the centerWire 24 and to the end of a diametrically opposed brush filament 22whereby the tips of filament 22 protrude from the openings betweenadjacent wires of the helical coil 26 and beyond the surface thereof.

The entire surface of the coil 26 is covered by a wide mesh not materialwhich may be constructed from nylon monofilaments woven in a fishnet orhairnet fashion and secured around the outside of the helical coil 26and if desired on the inside of the coil 26 as well. The tips of thefilaments Z2 protrude through the mesh openings 28 which tends tomaintain the filaments in position inside of the coil 26 but at the sametime allows a certain amount of flexibility of the resilient filaments22.

Although crush 20 tends to remain inside of coil 26 due to theengagement of the tips of the filaments 22 with the net 29, additionallyto position and secure the brush 20 in place, a pair of identical,spaced metal or plastic washer-like plate members 30 are mounted onopposite ends of the coil 26 and have a central opening 32 thereinthrough which the brush wire 24 protrudes and to which the wire isattached as by gluing or force fitting. The circular periphery of themembers .30 is substantially in line with the circular end loops of thecoils 26 and are attached thereto as by gluing or soldering in the caseof those materials which are metal and can be soldered.

In the drawing in FIG. 1, it is to be understood that the net 29 hasbeen shown only in part and broken away for the sake of clarity since ittends to obscure the internal construction in the drawing especially ifit were shown on the underside of the coil 26.

While I have shown and described a particular embodiment of my inventiontogether with the suggested 3 mode of operation and use thereof, this isby way of illustration only and does not constitute any limitation onthe scope of my invention since various alterations, changes,deviations, illiminations, substitutions, revisions,

omissions, additions, and departures may be made from the inventionshown and described herein without avoiding the scope of the appendantclaims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a brush for engaging the surface of a fabric, such as a knittedsweater fabric made from yarns which separate on the surface and formirregular balls or pills, and to have limited engagementwith the surfacethereof:

(a) a brush filament retaining means,

('0) a brush comprising a plurality of brush filaments extendingoutwardly from said brush filament retaining means,

(c) means limiting the exposed end of the brush filaments and thepenetration into the fabric,

(d) a handle on said brush,

(e) said limiting means being a foraminous surface having said brushretaining means mounted therewith and the brush filaments protrudingfrom each opening therein for a limited distance, wherein (f) saidforaminous surface is a coil and said brush filament retaining means issupported inside thereof.

2. The device in claim 1 wherein said coil is of cylindrical form andshape and said filaments define a cylindrical brush.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,537,918 5/1925 Cave 15-2061,627,634 5/1927 Coyne 15-169 2,531,239 11/1950 Twitty 15206 X 2,578,54912/1951 Hooban 15-344 2,737,672 3/1956 Weinman 15-159 X 2,740,977 4/1956Allen 15-3-44 X 2,929,085 3/1960 Resnick 15-206 X 3,050,070 8/1962Sidelrnan 15159.1 3,057,365 10/1962 Buzzelli et al. v 132--40 3,106,21310/1963 Clare 132-40 FOREIGN PATENTS 81 1886 Great Britain.

CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner.

PETER FELDMAN, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN A BRUSH FOR ENGAGING THE SURFACE OF A FABRIC, SUCH AS A KNITTEDSWEATER FABRIC MADE FROM YARNS WHICH SEPARATE ON THE SURFACE AND FORMIRREGULAR BALLS OR PILLS, AND TO HAVE LIMITED ENGAGEMENT WITH THESURFACE THEREOF; (A) A BRUSH FILAMENT RETAINING MEANS (B) A BRUSHCOMPRISING A PLURALITY OF BRUSH FILAMENTS EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM SAIDBRUSH FILAMENT RETAINING MEANS, (C) MEANS LIMITING THE EXPOSED END OFTHE BRUSH FILAMENTS AND THE PENETRATION INTO THE FABRIC, (D) A HANDLE ONSAID BRUSH, (E) SAID LIMITING MEANS BEING A FORAMINOUS SURFACE HAVINGSAID BRUSH RETAINING MEANS MOUNTED THEREWITH AND THE BRUSH FILAMENTSPROTRUDING FROM EACH OPENING THEREIN FOR A LIMITED DISTANCE, WHEREIN (F)SAID FORAMINOUS SURFACE IS A COIL AND SAID BRUSH FILAMENT RETAININGMEANS IS SUPPORTED INSIDE THEREOF.